Radiograph acquisition device, radiographic imaging system, and radiographic imaging method

Abstract

The disclosed radiograph acquisition device has: a selection unit that selects one radiation detection device from among a plurality of radiation detection devices that can convert radiation to radiographs; and an acquisition unit that acquires the radiograph of one radiation detection device when radiation is radiated at a subject, and the radiograph of at least one other radiation detection device aside from the one radiation device among the plurality of radiation detection devices.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A radiographic image capturing system comprising:
 a plurality of radiographic image capturing apparatus that are disposed in one image capturing chamber and are used for capturing images of a subject in a supine position or an upright position, a radiation source which outputs radiation based on an image capturing condition being shared by said plurality of image capturing apparatuses and being movable towards the subject, said plurality of radiographic image capturing apparatuses including 
 respective radiation detecting devices each of which is placed on or in an image capturing base and converts the radiation having passed through the subject into a radiographic image; and 
 a radiographic image acquiring apparatus including 
 a selector configured to select one radiation detecting device of one radiographic image capturing apparatus from among the radiation detecting devices of the plurality of radiographic image capturing apparatus, 
 an acquirer configured to acquire, based on an image capturing condition for the one radiation detecting device, a radiographic image from the one radiation detecting device and a radiographic image from another radiation detecting device which is at least one different radiation detecting device of another radiographic image capturing apparatus that differs from the one radiation detecting device, from among the radiation detecting devices of the plurality of radiographic image capturing apparatus, in a case that a subject is irradiated with the radiation, 
 a judging section configured to judge whether or not the radiographic image from the one radiation detecting device is a significant radiographic image representative of the subject and judge whether or not the radiographic image from another radiation detecting device is a significant radiographic image in a case that the radiographic image from the one radiation detecting device is not a significant radiographic image, wherein the judging includes obtaining a significance value of a radiographic image and determining whether the significance value indicates that the radiographic image is representative of the subject, and 
 a switcher configured to switch from the image capturing condition for the one radiation detecting device to an image capturing condition for the different detecting device, if the judging section judges that the radiographic image from the different radiation detecting device is the significant radiographic image. 
 
     
     
       2. The radiographic image acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an indicating unit for externally indicating a judgment result from the judging section, if the judging section judges that the radiographic image from the one radiation detecting device is not the significant radiographic image. 
 
     
     
       3. The radiographic image acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the judging section judges whether or not the radiographic image from the other radiation detecting device is the significant radiographic image, if the judging section judges that the radiographic image from the one radiation detecting device is not the significant radiographic image. 
     
     
       4. The radiographic image acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the acquirer successively acquires radiographic images from other radiation detecting devices until the judging section has found the significant radiographic image, if the judging section judges that the radiographic image from the one radiation detecting device is not the significant radiographic image. 
     
     
       5. The radiographic image acquiring apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the selector selects the one radiation detecting device, and designates an imaging method to be carried out upon application of radiation to the subject using the one radiation detecting device; and
 the acquirer acquires a radiographic image preferentially from a radiation detecting device, from among the other radiation detecting devices, which produces a radiographic image according to the imaging method, or acquires a radiographic image preferentially from another radiation detecting device that is in close proximity to the one radiation detecting device. 
 
     
     
       6. The radiographic image acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an output unit for externally outputting the radiographic image which the judging section has judged as being the significant radiographic image. 
 
     
     
       7. The radiographic image acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein in a case that the radiation is applied to the subject in an image capturing chamber, the acquirer acquires the radiographic image from the one radiation detecting device and the radiographic image from the other radiation detecting device, which also is present in the image capturing chamber, from among the plurality of radiation detecting devices. 
     
     
       8. The radiographic image acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an identification information storage unit for storing identification information of the plurality of radiation detecting devices that are present in the image capturing chamber in a case that the radiation is applied to the subject in the image capturing chamber, 
 wherein the acquirer acquires radiographic images from the plurality of radiation detecting devices that are present in the image capturing chamber based on the identification information stored in the identification information storage unit. 
 
     
     
       9. The radiographic image acquiring apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the radiation detecting devices comprises a radiation conversion panel for converting the radiation into electric charges, storing the electric charges, and outputting the stored electric charges as an electric signal to an external device, and the radiation conversion panel is made ready to store the electric charges before the radiation is applied to the subject.